Saturday

A nice gentle rain started about 4 this afternoon. One of those nice gentle rains with no thunder, no lightning, and no breeze. It is certainly much appreciated for the dry forest, and our semi-dry area. It looks like one of those rains that will just hang around for a while.

I moved furniture today. I set up a spare bedroom in the room that leads to the deck. It had been upstairs, but I like it better downstairs. The upstairs room, the one with no windows, is now a place for my travel stuff and my antique roll top desk. I’m far from finished but the big stuff is moved. I have one of those high air beds that is actually pretty comfortable for sleeping. I took a short nap on the air bed and it worked out fine. With these warm summer nights, and very little breeze, the upstairs is a little warm so I can now sleep downstairs, if it is too warm upstairs.


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Random Facts…

The first motto that appeared on US coins was not, 'In God We Trust,' – it was 'Mind Your Business.' These copper cents were authorized on April 21, 1787.

In 1908, the grandnephew of Napoleon Bonaparte, Charles Joseph Bonaparte, created the Bureau of Investigation, which would later become known as the FBI.

Abner Doubleday had nothing to do with the invention of baseball. The rumor that baseball was created by this Civil War general was started by the Major League to promote the legend that baseball is an American sport.

Betsy Ross didn’t design or sew the first American flag. That rumor was started by her grandson, William Canby, at a meeting of the Historical Society of Pennsylvania in March 1870 – 30-years after Betsy Ross had died.

The first President to be born a citizen of the United States was the eighth President, Martin Van Buren.

Crazy Stuff in the News…

EAGAN, Minn. - A Minnesota principal fired for having a kindergartner unclog a toilet with his bare hands has had his punishment lessened by an arbitrator. Doug Steele, who was dismissed unanimously by the Burnsville-Eagan-Savage school board in February for the December incident at Rahn Elementary School in Eagan, successfully appealed his dismissal to an arbitrator. Instead of losing his job, Steele will be suspended for 15 days without pay, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported. Sue Grissom, the district's human resources director, said district officials were disappointed by the ruling but will abide by the arbitrator's decision. However, she said Steele will not be reinstated as principal of Rahn Elementary and will instead be placed in a position of equal stature with duties including coordinating grants, assessments and state accountability reporting. Elijah and Shannon Hannah, the parents of the child who was forced to unclog the toilet with his hands, said they were also disappointed by the ruling. "I'm just mad," Elijah Hannah said Wednesday. "I've been mad since it all happened."


Month long events in August

Edinburgh Festival is an internationally famous arts festival that takes place during August National Immunization Awareness Month… National Psoriasis Awareness Month… Women's Small Business Month... National Back to School month…American Adventures Month…Golf Month…National Inventor’s Month…National Win with Civility Month…What will be your legacy Month

Week of Aug 17…

Weird Contest Week

22 Aug…

235 days so far this year…130 days remain in 2009
Day to Remember Slavery and it’s abolition
Valentino Day
*Swaziland – Umhlanga Day. [Dance for Maidens]
*Ukraine – Flag Day.


BIRTHS ON THIS DAY…

1754 Louis XVI Versailles, king of France

1903 William Primrose Glasgow Scot, violist
1912 Gene Kelly Pitts, dancer/actor
1930 Vera Miles actress (Psycho)
1934 Barbara Eden Tucson Az, actress (Dream of Jeannie)
1947 Keith Moon rocker1949 Rick Springfield Australia
1949 Shelley Long Fort Wayne Indiana, actress (Diane-Cheers)
1951 Queen Noor of Jordan
1970 River Phoenix Madras Ore, actor



Events on this day…

1617 1st one-way streets established (London)

1833 Britain abolishes slavery in colonies; 700,000 slaves freed
1872 1st Japanese coml ship visits SF, carrying tea

1904 Automobile tire chain patented
1919 "Gasoline Alley" cartoon strip premiers in Chicago Tribune
1960 World's largest frog (3.3 kg) caught (Equatorial Guinea)

Language from BrainFood.com

These puzzles are about words and language. Can you solve them?

1. Of those numbers whose English representation in capital letters consists only of straight lines, only one number has a value equal to the number of straight line segments required to write it out. What number is this?

2. What word is pronounced differently when the first letter is capitalized? [5]

3. Punctuate the following so it makes sense: "That that is is that that is not is not is not that it it is."

4. What word begins with 'h', ends with 'n', contains six letters, and contains eight words besides itself without transposing a single letter?
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Answers:
1. TWENTY NINE.
2. Herb. (American English only) Job. Nice. Polish. Differently.
3. That that is, is; that that is not, is not. Is not that it? It is."
4. "Herein." The words it contains are: "he," "her," "here," "ere," "re," "rein," "I," and "in."
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